$20 Advance / $25 Door / $10 Livestream
Tony Vacca’s Fusion Nomads brings together musicians whose individual journeys through jazz, global traditions, and improvisation create a richly textured, boundary-crossing sound. Led by innovative percussionist and balafon player Tony Vacca, the ensemble features Jo Sallins on electric bass and percussion, Charles Langford on saxophone, and John Sheldon on harp-guitar.
Special guest Massamba Diop—master of the Senegalese tama, or talking drum, and longtime member of Baaba Maal’s world-renowned band—joins the group for this dynamic concert. Diop’s recent work includes featured appearances on the soundtracks for Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Drawing on Vacca’s decades of work in jazz and world music, including extensive study and performance in West Africa, Fusion Nomads weaves tradition and innovation into music that moves freely across borders, rhythms, and styles.
This performance is part of Next Stage’s Local & Global Series, made possible by a 2026 Music in Action grant from Live Music Society.
Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the six New England state arts agencies.
